See Through Display enabling the correction of visual deficits

Abstract

A See-Through Display System with the ability to correct visual deficits such as presbyopia, color blindness and poor night vision is disclosed. This invention enables the correction of visual deficits using camera(s), microdisplay(s), controlling circuit(s) and see through optics such as free form lens/mirror, half-mirror, diffractive and/or holographic optical element(s).

We claim: 
     
         1 . A display system comprising:
 A microdisplay device having   A set of solid state light sources having at least two colors and   A control system to drive said microdisplay and said light sources and   A set of optical elements including at least one of free-form mirror, half-mirror, Fresnel mirror, HOE and DOE and   A set of optics enabling see-through capability whereby a user simultaneously can see both the visual field in front of the display system and the projected image by said microdisplay and   Image capturing sensor(s) and   Video processing unit(s) with algorithms designed to modulate still and moving video images that is capable of, but not limited to, the treatment of genetic, physiological, and psychological conditions involving the visual field including, but not limited to, presbyopia, myopia, hyperopia, cataract, retinitis pigmentosa and color blindness and   Said algorism corrects the weakness of the vision of a viewer by enhancing the video images from said microdisplay with at least one of the capabilities among the brightness increase of selected color(s), the changes of focal length of the objects captured by said image sensor(s), the change of the size of the objects, the brightness of the objects, and the change in contrast changing in brightness gap between two visual areas.   
     
     
         2 . The display system of  claim 1  wherein:
 Said system increases visual acuity, defined as 1/gap size [arc min], by more than 1% 
 
     
     
         3 . The display system of  claim 1  wherein:
 Said system improves color deficiency, defined at least one among the Ishihara Color Blindness Test score, and the ability to differentiate objects with wavelengths 564-580 nm, 534-545 nm, and 420-440 nm, by more than 1% 
 
     
     
         4 . The algorithm of  claim 1  wherein:
 Said algorithm modulate the visual field by increasing the horizontal and vertical visual field arc length of an object in view 
 
     
     
         5 . The algorithm of  claim 1  wherein.
 Said algorithm modulates the visual field by increasing the contrast, defined as the difference in brightness of discrete areas in the visual field and defined as K=(Lh−Ll)/Lh whereby 0=<K=<1, K=0 means there is no contrast while Kmax=1, Lh is the brightness at a discrete area with high luminescence, and Ll is the brightness at a discrete area with low luminescence. 
 
     
     
         6 . The algorithm of  claim 1  wherein:
 Said algorithm modulates the visual field by changing the focal length of the camera. 
 
     
     
         7 . The display system of  claim 1  wherein:
 Said system modulates the visual field by inverting the brightness of light and dark areas of the visual field. 
 
     
     
         8 . The display system of  claim 1  wherein.
 Said microdisplay is one of a group of Spatial Light Modulator (SLM), including, but not limited to, LCD, LCOS, Micromirror and MEMS display, and OLED. 
 
     
     
         9 . The image-capture and display system of  claim 8  wherein:
 Said system includes a modulator system having a video data processing circuit wherein image data including at least one of still and moving images flows from (1) one of said image sensor(s) and external source to (2) said video processing unit to (3) said control system to (4) said microdisplay which converts the video data into an image which is projected to (5) said see-through optics and projected to (6) the user's visual field, and Said control system is capable to flow data in unilateral and bilateral. 
 
     
     
         10 . The image-capture and display system of  claim 9  wherein:
 Said modulator increases color differentiation in image captured by image sensor or external video source by modulating color content of the image data. 
 
     
     
         11 . The image-capture and display system of  claim 9  wherein:
 Said visual display system increases color differentiation by selectively increasing the brightness of at least one color within said light source 
 
     
     
         12 . The image-capture and display system of  claim 9  wherein:
 Said visual display system increases color differentiation by selectively increasing the time composition of at least one color within at least one of said light source and microdisplay. 
 
     
     
         13 . The image-capture and display system of  claim 9  wherein:
 Said image sensor is able to sense infrared light and said processor is able to modulate the video image data in a manner that the user can differentiate between objects in the absence of light in the visible wavelengths. 
 
     
     
         14 . The image-capture and display system of  claim 9  wherein:
 Said image sensor can modulate the video image data by increasing the brightness of at least one of the entire visual field and specific objects within the visual field. 
 
     
     
         15 . The image-capture and display system of  claim 9  wherein:
 Said image modulation system identifies objects in the captured image at varying focal distances and modulates the object image area to appear at a different focal distance. 
 
     
     
         16 . The image-capture and display system of  claim 9  wherein:
 Said image modulation system recognizes specific objects, including, but not restricted to, computer monitors and reading material, and modulates the image in those object areas to a different focal distance. 
 
     
     
         17 . The image-capture and display system of  claim 9  wherein:
 Said video processing unit consists of multiple components which communicated via at least one of wired and wireless means. 
 
     
     
         18 . The image-capture and display system of  claim 17  wherein:
 At least one of components of the video processing unit can communicate with an external unit which is separate from the system and communicate data through wire or wireless means.